Brake Issues/Sticking Caliper

[jphillips-998]

Hi All,
Recently had adjustable sway bars and new torsion bars installed on the '74.

Yesterday I took the wheels off for a good cleaning and the right rear was just COATED with thick black stuff. Didn't really feel like brake dust but maybe that is b/c it was so thick.

Also, the car wouldn't coast. If I was off the gas the car would stop. Could the sway bars be pinching the hand brake line? Does the hand brake only operate the RR wheel?

While I had the wheels off I hand turned each rotor. The front right was very tight but the wheel didn't have the black stuff.

Any ideas? Trying to attend a track session this week. Your help is appreciated.

[skinnerd]

Jeff:

I don't believe your sway bars would be pinching your brake lines, but even if they were, that would not cause one of your brakes to drag. And the parking brake operates both rear brakes, not just one side. If you have the car up on jack stands, and in neutral w/o parking brake applied... all wheels should spin relatively easy by hand.... the fronts likely a little easier than the rears. If your car is not coasting when you're off the gas, you've got a serious problem!!! A piston(s)in one of the calipers may not be retracting which will wear out the brake pads on the particular wheel in no time. Or you could have a wheel bearing that has nearly seized up as well. You said the front was tight, but the rear had the black stuff on it? You'll need to do a little detective work to narrow down the problem(s) with each of these issues. Shouldn't be too tough though. Good luck.

[dickster]

how old are your brake hoses?

the rubber ones swell internally when old causing a one way valve effect. you can pump the fluid to the calipers but it can't return.

[GeorgeM]

Have your calipers ever been rebuit?

I had a frozen rear caliper that ate up a set of pads. I noticed it by the abundance of brake dust and some extra squeaking back there..

The outer piston was frozen from corrosion. It was a real pain getting it out, but the rebuild was cake after that. I used a mild Scotch-Brite pad to polish the pistons and I was back in business.

Of course, I had to get a new pair of rear pads (Hawk Blues at the time) at $100 for the set... ouch!

[jphillips-998]

I have owned the car for 4 months. The calipers were supposedly rebuilt but it doesn't look like it. The seals and gaskets don't look new. It is probably time.

Just pulled the RR wheel. I replaced brake pads at the last track session (about the last time the car was driven) and the pads look pretty beat up. A lot of chips taken out of the material on both the outer and inner. The might explain the complete wheel being covered in a very heavy coat of brake dust.

Seemed to be an excessive amount of grease behind the rotor. Could it be a wheel bearing and/or a broken seal? Still would not explain the pads getting so beat up.

[dickster]

if you spin the wheel without the pads does it bind - if no, it ain't the bearing (i doubt it is).

the black is probably pad material, not grease from the bearing. i think the area to look at is the brakes.

it may be what george suggests.

while the pads are out check to see if you can push the pistons back into the calipers, watch the resouvoire(spelling?) doesn't overspill (remove cap and excess). if the pistons push back ok, then the caliper is not seized. then if you've got rubber hoses and they're old, try new ones.